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Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 3279-3290, February 2015 Online ISSN: 1920-3853; Print ISSN: 1715-9997 Available online at www.cjpas.net
DAMS IN JORDAN CURRENT AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVE
Nidal Hadadin
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
ABSTRACT
Without concrete action Jordan will face a water series problem in the near future. Jordan is a naturally water scarce
country. Its climate ranges from semi-arid in the northwestern part of the country to arid desert in its eastern and
southern reaches. Jordan is subjected to periodic droughts; water supply from surface sources has declined substantially
over the past years. The difficulty to solve water shortage is significant, but not insurmountable. In this study, this issue
will be continued without taking real solutions from the government. This paper examines how construction of new
dams may reduce the gap between the sources and water demands. Some important information is presented about the
dams. Currently existing dams and those that will be constructed in the country in the future perspective plan may
resolve the problem of the water shortage. Rainfall harvesting, ponds, and construction new dams in the near future will
assist in the reduction gap between water sources and demand.
Keywords: Dams, water resources, watershed, supply, demands.
INTRODUCTION
Currently, Jordan is the 4th
country in the world that is
suffering from freshwater storage. Jordan’s water demand
is 900 MCM/yr, as well as 75 percent of it arises in the
Jordan River Basin. Total dams capacity in Jordan is
estimated at 350 MCM, including the desert dams. There
are seven dams that are constructed in the north and
middle Jordan valley with a total storage capacity of 270
MCM. These dams include Arab, Ziglab, King Talal,
Karameh, Shueib, Kafrein and Al Wehdah Dam.
Moreover there are three dams Wala, Mujib and Tannur
that are constructed in the southern Ghors with a total live
storage of 30 MCM. Stored water from these dams is used
for livestock and groundwater recharge (Ministry of
Water and Irrigation, Jordan Valley Authority, 2006)
Jordan is a relatively small country with limited natural
resources. Jordan is categorized between the arid and
semi arid countries. As shown in figure 1 the average
annual rainfall in Jordan Valley is (50-300 mm) and the
area is (5.7%) of the total area of Jordan, and in High
Land the average rainfall is between (400 – 580 mm) and
the area is (2.9%), while in the desert Area (Badia) the
average rain fall (50 – 200 mm) and the area is (91.4%) of
Jordan area.
Annual quantities of rainfall in (MCM): in Wet Years
11000 and Dry years 5800 and the Annual average 8300
(MCM): from these quantities is used as surface and
ground water is 8% (Hamdy and Lacirignola, 1999).
Jordan can be considered one of the most four water
stressed countries in the world, with less than 150 m3
annual per capita of water resources, while the world
water poverty line is 1000 m3 the water available per
capita in1946 was 3600 m3 and the prediction in 2025 will
be 104 m3 as shown in figure 2. To meet the increased
demand on water resources, the Ministry of Water &
irrigation in Jordan is working hard for additional water
resources for efficient management of water recourses
(El-Naser, 1999).
The current state of water infrastructure, institutions, and
policies seems to indicate that stabilization or
improvement in the water security situation for the
Jordanian people will come gradually. Fundamental
factors of increasing energy costs and difficulties in
financing capital expenditures and operating costs and
covering subsidies will slow capital investments,
especially as traditional donors reduce their spending
(UNU, 1995).
The lack of consistent and accurate data makes long-term
planning and management extremely difficult. One
specific case that came to the attention of the review team
was the 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG)
determination that total water supply in 2009 was 866
MCM compared to the official record of 936 MCM, a
difference of 70 MCM (Don Humpal et al., 2012). Corresponding author e-mail: n.hadadin@ju.edu.jo
Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 3280
Surface water resources in Jordan are distributed among
15 major basins, as shown in table 1. Surface water flows
in the country's basins vary greatly between seasons and
years. The safe yield of the twelve major aquifers in
Jordan is shown in table 2. The location of the major
watersheds and the flow directions within the basins are
shown in figure 3 (a) and 3 (b). The annual amount of
surface internal water resources is about 680 MCM (Earth
Trends, 2006). The long term average of surface water
flows for 15 major basins is shown in table 3.
The major surface water resources is the Jordan River,
Yarmouk basin is the largest source of external surface
water and it accounts for 40% of the surface water
Fig. 1. The average annual rainfall in Jordan.
Fig. 2. Annual water available per capita in Jordan.
Hadadin 3281
resources of Jordan, however, the flows of the Yarmouk
have significantly decreased primarily due to Syrian dam
construction upstream and decreased precipitation over
the past 30 years (FAO, 2007).
Table 1. Surface water drainage of Jordan.
Basin Annual
Discharge MCM
1 Yarmouk 166
2 Zarqa 84
3 Northern Side wadis 58
4 Southern Side Wadis 58
5 Jordan Valley 8
6 Mujib & Wala 102
7 Dead Sea Side Wadis 43
8 Hasa 43
9 Azraq 41
10 Hammad 24
11 Sarhan 18
12 Jafr 13
13 Southern Desert 1
14 Wadi Araba - North 46
15 Wadi Araba - South 8
Table 2. Major aquifers in Jordan.
Aquifer
Safe Yield
MCM/yr
1 Amman-zarqa 60-70
2 Azraq 30-35
3 Yarmouk 30-35
4 Jordan River Side Wadis 28-32
5 Jordan River 15-20
6 Dead Sea 40-50
7 Hammad 11-12
8 Sarhan 7-10
9 Jafr 7-10
10 Disi / Mdawara 2-3
11 Wadi Araba / North 5-7
12 Wadi Araba / South 4-6
Total 240-294
Water Related Issues
The main water issues in Jordan are: limited Water
Supply, water Quality deterioration, and water
distribution losses. An integrated Sustainable Water
Management Approach is needed for better management
of all water resources to cope with increasing demand
while preserving the environment (Hadadin et al., 2010).
The Major users of water in Jordan (as per year 2007) are:
Agriculture (63%) = 590.6 MCM/Year
Domestic (32%) = 301.5 MCM/Year
Industry (5%) = 48 MCM/Year
Total = 940.1 MCM
Dam‘s Supply /2007 = 158.7 MCM, 16.8%
The Average Water Consumption in Jordan over the last
decade was over 850 MCM/yr. The demand was
increased to about 1600 MCM in the year 2010. The
possible sources of needed water are: safe abstraction of
groundwater, recycling waste water, surface runoff water,
and desalination. The available surface runoff is around
710 MCM/yr. Dams, lagoons, and ponds are viable means
of collecting and utilizing surface runoff water, which
otherwise would be lost.
Strategy for Dams in Jordan In order to give a well planned scheme for the future,
Jordan has adopted a National Water Strategy. The
strategy is a comprehensive set of guidelines employing a
dual approach of water demand management and water
supply management. It places particular emphasis on the
needs for improved water resource management, stressing
the sustainability of present and future uses. Special care
will be given to protect the water supply against pollution,
quality degradation and the depletion of resources.
Furthermore, resource management will be improved by
increasing the efficiency of conveyance and distribution
systems, while the applications and uses of water will be
more selectively determined (Tutundjian, 2001).
Ten dams have been constructed in the last five decades
with a total capacity of around 275 MCM. The main dam
is the King Talal Dam on the Zarqa River, with a total
capacity of 80 MCM. The Unity Dam (Al Wihdeh ) on
the Yarmouk River shared between Jordan and the Syrian
have a total reservoir capacity of 110 MCM. All the dams,
except the Karamah Dam on Wadi Mallaha, are built on
the Side Wadis with their outlets to Jordan river valley
(JRV) and are used to store floods and base flows,
regulate water and release it for irrigation (Directorate of
Planning and Water Resources, 2005).
Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) is striving to
maximize the use of the available surface runoff in
order to relieve the dependency on excessive use of
groundwater.
JVA realizes the need for more conservation and
collection of various water sources.
JVA finds in Dams Construction a big potential to
provide water for Municipal, Industrial, Irrigation
and Livestock.
JVA also finds in Dams a good potential for
recharging the groundwater resources and reducing
the over abstraction
Existing Major Dams
The flow in River Jordan has dropped drastically. The
water of most of the rivers and wadis draining water
Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 3282
towards the Dead Sea basin are being utilized or stored by
some nine reservoirs with a total capacity of 221 MCM.
The major reservoirs are King Talal Reservoir (KTR),
Wadi Al-Arab and Tanour dams, the Unity Dam and
others. Al-Wihdeh Dam on the Yarmouk River which is
96-metres-high dam can hold up to 110 MCM of water.
Al Wihdeh Dam was completed and became operational
in 2007; the water storage behind the dam had reached
only 7.5 MCM, which means that only 6.8% of the
capacity was used.
Eighteen small dams with capacity of about 30 MCM are
located in the desert and the stored water is mainly used
for animal uses and artificial groundwater recharge. In
addition, many water harvesting projects storing the
rainfall in large and small reservoirs.
Location of existing dams in Jordan is shown in figure 4,
and the catchment for each dam and its type are shown in
table 4, and the dimensions of each dam and its capacity
is illustrated in table 5
Desert Dams
Desert covers about 8 090 000 ha or 90 percent of Jordan.
It is characterized by a very sparse vegetation cover and
an annual rainfall of less than 200 mm. In the past it was
only used for grazing. In the last two decades, however,
20 000 ha have been irrigated; using underground water
Fig. 3 (a). Major watersheds in Jordan.
Hadadin 3283
and ponds. Desert dams will be established in Badia (semi
desert) to provide local population with permanent water
resources. The desert dams and artesian wells can be used
for agricultural purposes and for watering livestock. In
addition, water from the wells may be desalinated and
treated for drinking purposes (ESCWA/FAO, 1993).
There are many desert dams in Jordan, their locations are
shown if figure 5. Their total capacity is about 32 MCM,
the distributions of desert dams in Jordan and their water
capacity are shown in tables 6 and 7.
In addition to 0.50 MCM of 14 small dams built by the
Ministry of Agriculture in Karak and Tafila Governates.
The number of dams, lagoons, and ponds constructed in
the desert are: 32 desert dams with a total catchment area
of 10313 km2, 44 lagoons, and 74 ponds. They serve
livestock and recharge purposes and their gross storage
Fig. 3 (b). Flow direction in the major watersheds in Jordan.
Table 3. Long term average of surface water flows.
Basin Base Fow MCM/year Flood Flow MCM/yr Total Flow MCM/yr
Yarmouk 105 155 260
Jordan Valley 19.3 2.4 21.7
North Rift Side Wadis 36.1 13.93 50
South Rift Side Wadis 24.8 7.7 32.5
Zarqa River 33.5 25.7 59.2
Dead Sea Side Wadis 54 7.2 61.2
Mujib 38.1 45.5 83.6
Hasa 27.4 9 36.4
Wadi Araba North 15.6 2.6 18.2
Wadi Araba South 2.4 3.2 5.6
Southern Desert 0 2.2 2.2
Azraq 0.6 26.8 27.4
Sirhan 0 10 10
Hammad 0 13 13
Jafer 1.9 10 11.9
Total 358.7 334.2 692.9
(Source: MWI Water Budget Report, 2011).
Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 3284
capacity is 31.25 MCM. The annual impounded of all
desert dams from 1995 to 2002 is shown in table 8.
Sediment accumulation reduces the storage capacity of
dams, especially King Talal, Kafrein, Wala, Mujib,
Sultani and Bowedah dams. Two of JV dams were raised
due to excessive accumulations of sediments, i.e. King
Talal and Kafrein dams. Sediment removal was done for
Sultani, Bowedah and Abu Swaneh Dams. It is found that
this process is costly and not highly effective. Multilevel
intakes was designed for King Talal Dam, Tender will be
announced as soon as the water-level permits. Dams in
Jordan face some pollution problem due to: Wastewater
treatment plants, agriculture practices, mining and others.
Fig. 4. Location of existing dams.
Hadadin 3285
Fig. 5. Location of desert dams.
Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 3286
Fig. 6. Location of perspective dams in Jordan.
Hadadin 3287
Table 4. Catchment areas for each dam with its type and purpose.
Purpose Dam Type
Construction
Cost Million J.D
Start of
Operation
Catchment
Area Km2
River /
Wadi
Location
S.
No.
Irrigation &
Electricity Earth Fill
34
1977 and
raised in
1987
3,700
Zarqa
Eastern
Heights
King
Talal
Dam 1
Irrigation,
Municipal,
Industrial and
Electricity
Earth Fill 20 1986 262 Wadi Arab Jordan
Valley
Wadi
Arab
Dam 2
Irrigation and
Recharge Earth Fill
9.3
1967 Raised in
Year 1997
163
Wadi Al-
Kafrein Jordan
Valley Kafrein
Dam 3
Irrigation and
Recharge Earth Fill 0.56 1969 178
Wadi
Shauib
Jordan
Valley Shuaib
Dam 4
Irrigation ,
Municipal, and
Industrial Earth Fill 0.9 1967 106
Wadi
Ziglab
Jordan
Valley
Ziglab
Dam 5
Irrigation,
Desalination
and Recreation Earth Fill 55 1997 61.2
Wadi Al-
Mallahah
Jordan
Valley
Karameh
Dam 6
Irrigation , and
Industrial
Roller
Compacted
Concrete
(RCC)
23.3 2001 2160 Wadi Al-
Hassa Taffaila
Tannur
Dam 7
Irrigation ,
Municipal, and
Industrial
RCC &
Earth Fill 50 2003 4380
Wadi
Mujib
Karak
Governate
Mujib
Dam 8
Irrigation ,
Municipal,
Industrial and
Recharge
RCC &
Earth Fill 25 2003 1770 Wadi Wala
Madaba
Governate
Wala
Dam
9
Irrigation ,
Municipal, and
Industrial
RCC
80
2006
5000 Km2
Jordan
1200Km2
Yarmouk
River
Yarmouk
District/
Irbid
Governate
Al
Wehdah
Dam
10
Table 5. Jordan existing dams dimension and capacity.
CAPACITY: (MCM ) DIMENSIONS Annual
Evaporation
MCM/yr
Res.
Area
(Km2)
Life
)MCM)
Dead
)MCM)
Total
)MCM)
Body
Volume
(MCM)
Width
at Crest
(m)
Length
at Crest
(m)
Height
(m)
Dam
4.3
2.8 75 11 86 5.7 11.5 350 108 King Talal 1
1.5 0.8 16.8 3.2 20 3.1 8.5 434 83.5 Wadi Arab 2 1.5 0.8 8.2 0 8.2 2.1 6 552 37 Kafrein 3 0.6 0.3 1.4 0.9 2.3 0.9 5 730 32 Shuaib 4 0.56 0.3 3.9 0.4 4.3 1.35 6 745 48 Ziglab 5
N.A 5 52 0 52 11 10 2150 44.5 Karameh 6
N.A 0.84 16.8 0 16.8 0.215 8 270 60 Tannur 7
N.A 1.98 29.8 1.4 31.2 0.72 RCC
and 1.0 Fill 9 720 62 Mujib 8
N.A 0.86 7.9 1.4 9.3 0.205 RCC
and 7.0 Fill 9 480 45 Wala 9
N.A 3.75 105 5 110 1.43 7.2 485 86 Al Wehdah 10
Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 3288
Table 6. Distributions of Desert dams in Jordan.
Dam Height (m) Type Capacity (MCM)
SOME DESERT DAMS-NORTH
MAFRAQ
Sama Srahan 8 Concrete Face Rockfill Dam 1.7
Ghadeer Al Bayard 13 Concrete 0.4
Bourq’u 5 Earth Fill 1
Al Aqib 15 Earth Fill 1.1
Dear Kahef 5 Earth Fill/ Masonry Wall 0.05
Al Shalan 3 Earth Fill 0
Al- Ethna 5 Earth Fill 2.05
Rouweshed 7 Earth Fill 10
Total 16.3
IRBID
Bowaidah 9.5 Concrete 0.1
SOME DESERT DAMS MIDDLE
AMMAN
Swaqa 19 Earth Fill 2.4
Al Muaqar 10 Earth Fill 0.08
Yajous 12 Earth Fill 0.2
Jelat 6 Earth Fill 0.05
Total 2.73
ZARQA
Al- Lahfi 8 Earth Fill 0.4
Abu Sowwaneh 4 Earth Fill 0.25
Wadi Rajel 9 Earth Fill 3
Wadi Al- Esh 8 Earth Fill 0.05
Total 3.7
SOME DESERT DAMS SOUTH
KARAK
Qatraneh 4 Earth Fill 2
Al- Sultani 8 Earth Fill 0.08
Total 2.08
MA’AN
Bayer 12 Earth Fill 4
Juloakh 14 Earth Fill 0.05
Al Jardaneh 15 Earth Fill 2.3
Total 6.35
Table 7. Summary of distributions of desert dams in Jordan and their capacity.
Governate Number of Dams Capacity (MCM)
Mafraq 8 16.30
Irbid 1 0.1
Amman 4 2.73
Zarqa 4 3.7
Karak 2 2.08
Ma’an 3 6.35
Karak & Tafila * 25 0.565
Total 48 31.825
Hadadin 3289
Future Dams
Future plans included the construction of several dams in
the future. Serious consideration was being given by
government, the government was concerned that scarcity
of water could ultimately place a gap on both agricultural
and industrial development. The comprehensive
hydrological survey should be conducted, some experts
believed that demand for water could outstrip in the near
future, for that construct new dams should be the viable
priority.The locations of the future dams is shown in
figure 6. The estimated cost and future dams and potential
dam sites are shown in tables 9 and 10, respectively.
Summary of Dams Storage Capacity
Present and Future
Summary of the total capacity of existing dams, future
dams, and desert dams, lagoons, and ponds is shown in
table 11. The catchment area of existing dams is about
13980 km2, desert dams is about 10313 km
2 and the
prospective dams is 895 km2, with a total of 25188 km
2 .
Table 11. Summary of dams storage capacity.
Category Capacity (MCM)
Existing Dams in Jordan
Rift Valley
317
Desert Dams 31.8
Water Harvesting
Lagoons & Ponds
2
Dams Ready for
Construction
18.35
Potential Dams 31
Total 400.15
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The surface drainage of Jordan consists of fifteen basins.
Surface water flows in the country's basins vary greatly
between seasons and years. The information in this study
as well as many other studies done by international
organizations differ on the amount of future supply and
Table 8. Recorded annual impounding of all desert dams over 8 years.
Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
Impounding (MCM) 2.67 7.89 21.56 21.27 2.89 6.93 14.95 3.00
% of Capacity 8.5% 25% 69% 68% 9% 22% 48% 10%
Table 9. Prospective dams in the near future.
Cost (MJD) Capacity (MCM) Height (m) Water Usage Type
Al-Karak 5.4 2.1 25 Recharge CG
Kufranja 25 8 84 Irrigation and
Municipal
CFRD
Al Wuheidah 3.5 0.75 12 Recharge EF
Ibn-Hammad 25 4 48.5 Irrigation EF
Shaidham 2.2 0.3 19 Irrigation CFFD
Dlaga 1.9 0.2 12 Irrigation CFFD
Zarqa Maan 9.8 2 20 Irrigation CFRD
Lajjon 3.5 1 20 Irrigation CFRD
Total 76.3 18.35
Table 10. Potential dam sites.
Governate Catchment area (km2) Capacity
Al- Haleq Amman 650 9.4
Al- Butom Al-Zarqa 140 8.4
Al-Za’atary Mafraq 429 1.5
Shuaib Balka 54 1.1
Falhah Madaba 18 0.8
Aie Karak 10 0.92
Al-Luban Tafailah 48 2.7
Zabda Tafailah 80 0.87
Um Lawzeh Ma’an 31 2.3
Others (Fanoush, DhretAl-Ramil,
Basat Faras) 2.4
Total 31
Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 3290
demand for water, but they agree, without exception, that
there is a serious gap and that simple, realistic solutions to
close it are not apparent. For the purpose of this study, is
to give data and information to have a look on the existing
and projected water supply and needs within the coming
years. Projected future water supply availability from all
sources shows that the water deficit is increasing with
time. Despite the huge investments in the water sector
until the year 2025, a considerable water deficit will be
facing Jordan. For example, the water deficit for all uses
will grow from about 314 MCM in 2015 to 490 MCM by
the year 2025. Construction new dams, water harvesting,
suppressed demand and rationing distribution programs
for domestic uses as well as irrigated agriculture can help
to close the gap. Other options such as desalination of
Red Sea water may also help Jordan meet future demands.
Dam post construction care (operation, maintenance and
safety) is essential; furthermore, technical manpower
should available to perform such activities to be increased
and trained. Cooperation with the Ministries of
Environment, Agriculture and Public Works is necessary
in the conservation of the catchment area of dams.
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Received: Sept 12, 2014; Revised: Oct 6, 2014; Accepted: Oct 23, 2014
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